March 26, 2014

You design what you are. Branding yourself. Branding yourself?!

How do you present yourself in business, at work, at school, 
at home, in front of your loved ones, to yourself etc.?

I believe that finding oneself is one of the themes that many people have throughout their lives IF they are serious about their own lives. Have you wondered how others look at you or how you look at yourself? I used to struggle to present myself in a social setting because I tended to care about others' eyes. I realized that I used to care about what I SHOULD do and what I was EXPECTED by others, communities, and cultures. I felt so tight. My mind was under stress. I wanted to feel free to express myself. Basically, I like making something. I like to be creative and unique. Having said that, I was uncertain in what way I could be myself. I have been thinking if individuals' personality and identity can be characterized without going through cultural and social norms. How unique can I be myself at the individual level? That seemed nearly impossible as one's cultural and social norms is recognized as part of his/her nature. I was seeking a way to look at myself as an individual instead of a member of cultural/social group.   

Branding myself?! That word clicked in my mind. 

As I used to try to FIT others' expectations and social norms, without knowing I was doing it myself, the idea of "branding myself" opened my mind and heart. I used to dream of becoming a fashion designer as I have studied the field in school and created my fashion brand on my own. Jen Groover's idea of branding myself revitalized my creative adventurous spirit. I started to analyze and reflect on my interests, decisions, focus, dreams, more. How is my branding supposed to be recognized? For myself, for the society, or for somebody else? What is the foundation of your brand? What creates what you are?     

To brand yourself, you need to know your core values.

What are your values? Do you have anything that you cannot compromise? 
I guess that is your core value. What you pay attention to, how you understand things, and how you make a decision are usually determined on the basis of your core values. I started to look at my core values that have received huge influence of my family culture, social expectations, and personal failed/successful experiences. Have you noticed that your beliefs control your fear, actions, attitudes, and self-image? (Jen also advises about fear and failure in the book. Let me talk about that another time.) I realized that my core values built my beliefs. ...If I wanted to change to improve, my core values and beliefs might need to be changed... To be honest, I was uncertain of my core values. I did not know if the core values created or reflected what I am. How can you be honest yourself?  How can you know what your core values are? I have taken a test that can indicate your top three core values. There were some values, such as truth, persistence, love, trust, security, fairness, loylty, learning, freedom, happiness, respect, and teamwork, to compare. Once we visualize our thoughts, what we are thinking about becomes more clear and easy to deal with it. My three core values were Learning, Peace, and Respect accroding to the test. I did not know if that result was true. I happened to notice that I express my feelings and thoughts based on these three key values quite frequently. I have a better understanding of what I am.  

What is true you? How authentic are you? 

I was looking for my "authenticity."  "Authenticity is everything."
Why? The point is whether you are true. Are you are real? If you are untrue, your branding is not going to inspire others or not going to last. I do not mean what you are now represents your brand that you can have in the rest of your life. You can CHANGE your branding because "You are your brand."

I think that to be authentic, accepting ourselves is the key. 
Because "Branding is everything you do," you can change what you are by changing your attitudes and your actions. Importantly, you can change how others look at you by changing how you look at yourself. In other words, expanding your potential with self-beliefs, your branding can go further under your control. So what do you want be? How do you want to design yourself? Your branding can be challenging and gives you an opportunity to take the next step. I learned that I have a choice to design myself as a negative person or positive person. I can choose to be a person who gives up on oneself or one who strives for one's success. I am excited to see myself branding myself because I can see the possibility of becoming who I want to be. Of course, this process would not be easy. I belive this is where my self-development begins: Facing myself, good sides and bad sides.    

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